Thank Oum
by 19RosesofLifeandDeath98
Summary: Weiss is fine. Neptune is just being paranoid. Weiss is fine. She has to be. (NEISS, ICE WATER, ICE PLANET, ICEBERG, ARCTIC OCEAN, WHATEVER THE HECK YOU WANT TO CALL IT)


**So this is my first RWBY fanfiction. Really hope that you enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: RWBY is property of RoosterTeeth, 100%.**

Neptune Vasilias is exceptionally good at keeping his cool in a stressful situation (unless any form of open water or Weiss Schee is involved). So when he gets home after completing a mission with the rest of Team SSSN and the platinum beauty is nowhere in sight, he doesn't worry too much. Their occupations make it so that they are never truly sure whether or not they'll be home for dinner. He glances at the clock.

7:13 pm

The corners of his lips quirk upward. Only a few minutes late. Weiss could be home any minute. He thinks it best to make himself useful and grab something for dinner- something special that will make her face light up when she walks in the door. He scribbles "Getting grub. See you in a bit, Snow Angel" onto a sticky note, complete with a goggled smiley face and a tiny heart.

The pub he's thinking of is about two blocks away from their apartment. It's a good night for a walk, the late summer air brushing against his cheeks as he strolls down the sidewalk. Just before he reaches the restaurant, he feels his scroll vibrate. He flips it out of his pocket to see a new message received from Sun.

GET HOME OK?

Neptune shakes his head. Sun texts them after every mission, as if he hadn't seen them just an hour earlier.

YES, NANNY. THANK YOU FOR CHECKING IN.

He can practically see his leader's face getting pink as he reads the reply.

WELL EXCUSE ME FOR CARING.

Neptune chuckles and slides his scroll back into his pocket. Joking aside, he appreciates Sun's concern. He places his dinner order to-go at the front counter, unable to keep a grin off his face. He's quite pleased with himself. He got their favorite pasta dish- which would go nicely with some red wine, now that he's thinking about it- and a piece of Weiss' favorite vanilla bean cheesecake.

While he waits, his scroll goes off again. His smile widens. Probably Weiss frantically apologizing for being late. When he glances down at the screen, his brows furrow as he sees that it's from Sun.

HAS WEISS COME HOME YET?

Something in the base of his skull buzzes, like a fear he isn't ready to deal with.

NO. BLAKE?

NO.

Neptune rubs the back of his neck and checks the time.

7:34 pm

They're being paranoid. The girls are fine; mission is just running a little long. Nothing to be worried about. He's trying to keep his breathing under control when he receives another message from Sun.

THEY'RE FINE, RIGHT?

Neptune isn't sure whether to take comfort in the fact he isn't alone in his worry or freak out because it's shared. He glances around the pub. Several families occupy the booths along with couples enjoying casual conversation. They're laughing and smiling like everything is normal and Neptune feels like his ribs are suffocating him.

YEAH, THEY'RE COOL. DON'T BE PARANOID.

It's a hypocritical statement, but he wants Sun to think he believes it. _He_ wants to believe it. As he reads Sun's reply, he can see the uneasiness in his leader's eyes.

OK. TEXT WHEN SHE'S BACK?

SURE. YOU DO THE SAME.

Before his mind can wander any more, a waitress comes out of the kitchen carrying a paper bag. Her smile almost feels like an insult.

"Here's your food, sir." she says brightly.

He manages a thank you, but he's starting to feel ill. He practically stumbles out of the restaurant and takes in desperate gulps of fresh air. The word keeps replaying in his head.

Paranoid. Paranoid. Paranoid.

He's being irrational. He glances at his scroll.

7:46 pm

The mission is probably already over. They just hit a bump in the road getting home. And Weiss hasn't messaged him because her scroll is dead. That's exactly what happened.

Neptune had thought about wine earlier, hadn't he? Yes, he'll focus on that. Because the girls are fine and he's an overly protective boyfriend who needs to chill out.

He bypasses the liquor store across the street and heads for the one about a block in the opposite direction. He isn't trying to kill time, he's just enjoying the evening air. By the time he's finally back at the apartment, he is wound tighter than a coil.

Neptune reaches for the door handle and his heart plummets into his stomach when he finds it still locked. He throws the door open and mutters a curse seeing his note left untouched on the kitchen counter.

8:23 pm

He's worried. He starts to pace up and down the length of the hallway, running a hand through his hair as he tries to think. He doesn't give himself the chance to second guess, he just hits 'call' and holds the scroll up to his ear.

He _so badly_ wants her to pick up. To chide him for being dramatic and interrupting whatever she's doing. He wants her to tell him she's fine and on her way home.

"Hello. You've reached the voicemail of Weiss Schnee. I'm unable to answer my scroll right now but if you leave a message, I will respond as soon as I can."

"Hey, babe," he squeaks and clears his throat, "I'm at home. Just wondering where you are. Call me."

It's by no means his smoothest move. He mutters another curse. Half of him is screaming in panic and the other is screaming at him to get a grip. He mulls over his options, calculating his chances of success with the other members of Team RWBY. No one answers.

His heartbeat has become painful, pounding against his ribs like it's trying to get his attention. All he can do is worry and pace and _worry_ until he feels like an eternity has passed.

9:00 pm

All of the lilac has been pushed out of the sky, leaving it an endless black. He calls Sun.

"Weiss not there?" the Faunus' voice is darker than usual.

"No. I take it Blake isn't home either."

The indistinct grumbling is all the confirmation that he needs. The next question Sun asks is one that Neptune has been thinking about for hours.

"Should we be worried?"

He doesn't answer, since it's pretty obvious they're both already aboard that train. He bites his lower lip and tries to pull himself together.

"Let's ask Sage." he blurts out.

His cheeks redden slightly at how meek his voice sounds.

After a brief pause, Sun answers, "Yeah, okay."

It seems instinctual for the members of Team SSSN to turn to the level-headed swordsman, no matter the issue. Neptune's thoughts are interrupted by a chime, signaling that another person has joined their call.

"Sun, I already said I'm fine."

"Yeah, yeah I know, dude." Sun interjects, "This is about RWBY."

"Is she okay?"

Sage's voice takes on an intensity that would make Neptune chuckle on any other day. The swordsman is fiercely protective of the petite team leader, in an endearing big-brother kind of way.

"Probably," Neptune says in a manner that isn't very convincing, "Team RWBY got deployed on a mission around the same time as us and we assumed they'd be finished around the same time."

"Oh," Sage sighs, "so Blake and Weiss aren't home yet and you want confirmation that you're being worrisome, overly-dramatic boyfriends?"

"Yep," Sun says, "that about sums it up."

"You're being worrisome, overly-dramatic boyfriends."

Neptune huffs and debates making a sarcastic retort when Sage sighs again.

"Team RWBY has a great track record." they respond with some noise of acknowledgment, "Whatever is holding them up, I'm sure they're handling it."

Neptune tugs on a lock of aqua hair. He'd been telling himself this for a good hour, but hearing Sage say it helps his stomach settle a little.

Sun speaks up, "You're right."

"I know. Now both of you relax."

Sage exits the call, leaving both of them with their thoughts. He's right, there probably isn't a kid in Remnant who hasn't heard of the heroics of Team RWBY. Still, even heroes can be written a tragic story.

"We're overacting." Neptune says firmly.

"Right." Sun answers back, "Overacting."

"The girls are fine." It's a statement, not a question, "They're fine and they'll be home soon. We just need to chill."

"Chill." Sun echoes.

Awkward static fills the call as they both look for more to say.

Coming up short, Neptune sighs, "Try to relax, buddy."

"You, too, bro. See you later?"

"Yeah."

Sun hangs up and a tangible, heavy loneliness settles over him. Neptune lets his eyes fall shut. His body's been put through enough today- the adrenaline of the mission, the anticipation to get home to Weiss, the acute panic when she wasn't there. He could use a shower.

He bathes and dresses for bed. He figures all she'll want to do at this point is eat dinner and pass out- not that he'd be opposed to whatever else she's in the mood for. He paces, tidies up, reads a bit, paces, cleans his weapon, _paces_.

He hasn't let himself look at the clock since he got off the phone with Sun, knowing if he caved in just once he'd be checking it every other minute. He's pacing in the bedroom when he hears a knock on the front door. The sound is ringing in his ears and he feels his pulse begin to race. He leaps over the bed, catching sight of the alarm clock on his way out.

10:03 pm

She is definitely going to have some explaining to do. There is a moment just before his hand closes around the door knob when everything lags into slow motion. He realizes in that single second that Weiss wouldn't need to knock. He realizes that she would have found _some_ way to call him and tell him she was on her way home. He realizes this all too late, because he's already opened the door and let his heart sink at the sight.

His mind processes what his eyes are seeing in stages. First, he recognizes Yang. Second, he sees the thick bandages covering her right cheek and collar bone. Then he notices details like the exhaustion in her eyes and muscles, her defeated posture. Finally his mind comes to terms with what this means and forms one terrible question.

"Where's Weiss?" he doesn't care that his voice cracks.

Yang takes a measured breathe before saying, "She's not dead."

The word pierces him like a bullet.

"We were dealing with more than just the reported grimm attacks. There was an ambush waiting when we got there. They took us by surprise. Some psychos thinking that Ruby was the winter maiden or whatever."

When he doesn't respond, Yang continues, "One of them was going after Ruby. I didn't see exactly what happened, but Weiss got between them and…"

She squeezes her fist like the thought of it brings her physical pain. Neptune can feel his chest collapsing in on itself.

" _Where's Weiss?_ " he implores, hands beginning to shake.

Yang meets his eyes, "Ruby's staying with her at the hospital. I came to get y-"

"Let's go."

It's an infinitely long and silent ride, and Neptune practically falls off the bike as soon as they come to a stop. They both sprint into the intensive care wing, ignoring complaints from several doctors. He follows the blonde at her heel through the twists and turns of the sterile blue walls. As his feet pound on the tile, all he lets himself think is _left, right, left, right, left, right._ He can't let himself imagine what he'll see, can't imagine the damage done to her.

He knows they've reached their destination before Yang actually says anything. He can feel her proximity, like magnetism keeping them constantly tethered. He isn't prompted to enter, he's just there at her side before anyone can blink. He stares down at her and is shaken by how fragile she looks.

An oxygen mask is covering the lower part of her face, but the skin he can see is deathly pale. Her eyelids aren't fluttering, like they do when she sleeps. They're still, no dreams hidden beneath them. Neptune feels his lips begin to quiver and suddenly wants to gag when his eyes leave her face.

A thick layer of gauze is wrapped around her neck, like she's a broken doll hastily put back together. All of the scenarios Neptune had been pushing aside now assault him at full force. Weiss lunging to protect Ruby. Weiss being unable to scream as her throat is slit. Blood. _Everywhere._

He sways on his feet as he reaches out to tentatively brush her snow white hair from her eyes.

"What happen?" he growls.

He doesn't mean for it to come out like an accusation, and a part of him hates himself for the distraught expression that contorts the Ruby's face. The team leader sits curled up in a chair on the other side of the bed, wearing a fair number of bandages herself.

"We'd been expecting grimm," her voice is inconceivably small, "not an ambush. They thought I was a maiden. There were dozens of them."

"Highly trained, well informed, and on a mission." says Yang.

Ruby nods, "Our aura was way down. I knew that. We shouldn't have stayed. I should have pulled us out. I should have-"

"Ruby," Neptune sighs at the same moment Yang presses, "Ruby, we all stayed and fought. This wasn't your fault."

Ruby nods again, but the conviction doesn't reach her eyes. Yang shakes her head and turns to Neptune.

"We called for backup, but the area was pretty mountainous. Difficult to navigate. We knew when we called that we'd be on our own until the end."

She glances between her teammates, "After Weiss went down, we basically formed a circled around her and fought like hell until reinforcements showed up. The baddies that aren't in critical condition are on their way to the big house."

Neptune nearly askes where the person who did this is, what state they're in, but he doesn't. It won't change anything. He runs his thumb along Weiss' cheek. He's done this before: when he's trying to draw her attention away from a book, late at night when he's the only on awake, when he's about to kiss her. He doesn't want that to just be memory.

He forgets Yang is there until she speaks, "The doctors say that there's going to be decent scarring, but it didn't sever her larynx so there's a good chance she'll pull through without…"

Neptune knows she was going to say _permanent damage_ and then realized how laughably inaccurate that was. Time stops mattering to him, he just takes a seat beside Weiss, holding her hand and running his thumb across her knuckles. The sisters exchange some words, but he's not paying any attention to them.

He gathers enough. Qrow and Taiyang are furious at yet another attempt on Ruby's life. Blake, who'd suffered a multitude of scrapes and a sprained wrist, was dropped off at the cottage she and Sun share- despite her adamant protests that she didn't need the rest and should stay with her team. The attackers are in Ozpin's custody and will be thoroughly questioned before being carted off to prison.

At some point, a nurse walks in and hesitantly informs them that visiting hours are over. Yang whispers something sharply to her.

"W-would you like me to make arrangements for you to stay overnight, sir?" she offers.

Neptune faces the woman and wills a smile.

"Yes, please." and then says to both her and Yang, "Thank you."

The blonde gives a single nod, then moves to collect her sister. There's fierceness in her eyes as she silently extends her arm. Ruby stares at it, then at Weiss. The heart ache in her eyes is painful. She stands slowly and allows Yang to wrap her arm around her shoulders. They both offer sympathetic last looks at Neptune and Weiss before they're gone. The nurse scurries away and then it's just them.

He talks to her- about his mission, about the sky, about whatever comes to his mind- and rests his head beside hers and kisses her hand. Sun calls at some point, asks how he's doing. He doesn't answer and instead asks about Blake. She stifles a sob when he tells her that Weiss is stable and she's going to be fine.

It's well after midnight when the heart monitor kicks out of rhythm and picks up its pace. He feels his own heart race to match it as he stares at her face. It's barely noticeable, but he sees her eyelids crack open, the tiniest glimpse of blue making his chest swell with relief. He squeezes her hand as his vision begins to blur.

"Hey, Snow Angel." he wipes at his eyes.

Hers are open but unfocused, drifting lazily around the room. Her gaze locks with him and her pupils contract slightly, like she's only just recognizing him.

" _Ne-_ " she breathes, a sound so quiet and strained that he can hardly believe it's coming from her, " _Ne-Nep…_ "

"Hey hey hey," he coos, cupping her cheek, "don't try to talk, okay? You got a pretty bad cut right here."

He gestures to his neck where her wound is. She blinks at him and he isn't sure she understands what he's talking about.

"Do you remember what happened?"

After a beat, she nods. He doesn't know how to feel about that. They sit there for a moment. He watches her breath cloud the oxygen mask, watches her eyes shift across the room again like she might have missed something the first time. He traces her jaw with feather-light fingers.

"The girls are fine." He says, and her eyes snap back to him, "They were in here before."

Some tension in her face recedes. Her hand grasps weakly at the mask and Neptune helps ease it over her head. She catches his hand with hers and he slowly raises it to his lips, kissing every knuckle. Relief fills him to the brim and he can't stop the tears that fall silently down his face. Weiss cups his cheek, her touch barely a whisper.

"Thank Oum you're okay." he exhales.

She offers him a faint smile before the last of her energy seems to wither and she drops her hand. She leaves it open expectantly until he laces their fingers together and lays back next to her on the bed.

When the nurse returns, the Schnee heiress is sound asleep on the young man's shoulder, vitals looking much better than when she'd arrived. He slowly pulls his gaze away from her, but the nurse shakes her head.

"Never mind." she mouths and backs out of the room.

She sees him rest his head against the Huntress' before she leaves and tells the nursing assistant that they won't be needing that second bed, after all.

 **Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed it, please let me know! If you didn't, please let me know! Feedback is my fav. Thanks again! See ya.**


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